Softball sweeps perennial power FSU

Tech softball is rolling and Jessica Sallinger is the star of the show. The No. 21 Jackets swept No. 24 Florida State last weekend to progress to 32-7 overall and 5-1 in the ACC.

The Jackets won the first two games against FSU, 2-0 and 3-1, last Saturday before blanking the Seminoles 5-0 on Sunday at Glenn Field.

Tech swept the Seminoles for the first time since the 2000 season and in the process snapped a nine-game losing streak against FSU.

The Seminoles have been the dominant team of the ACC and although the games against FSU count the same as any other contest in the standings, the team was especially excited about topping Florida State.

"The girls played really well. We had to get this monkey off our back against FSU and I am pleased with the way we played," Head Coach Ehren Earleywine said.

Tech started the 2005 season with a school record 13 straight wins before slipping to a series of defeats in the Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga., when Tech lost four consecutive games in the last week of February including losses to Michigan and Southern Illinois.

"We were very much geared up to beat Michigan. They were ranked higher and our team was looking forward to that game for a while. So when we got beaten [by Michigan], the girls just got shut off during the rest of the tournament. What they forgot was that championships are not won in February. We should learn to put losses behind us and move on," Earleywine said.

Since then Tech is 20-3 with series wins over North Carolina and Florida State and a first-place finish at the UCF Softball Invitational in Orlando, Fla.

"We met most of our goals that we set at preseason. There are some things I would like to see the team improve on but there are other things that have been exciting and surprising this season," Earleywine said.

One such exciting but not surprising thing is the pitching of Jessica Sallinger. Sallinger finished with her 11th complete-game shutout of the season last weekend and has not allowed an earned run in 45 2/3 innings pitched. The Kennesaw, Ga. native has not allowed a run in 28 2/3 straight innings and is now eighth all-time in the NCAA with 1,244 career strikeouts.

Sallinger was named the National Player of the Week for her incredible work against FSU, which included a no-hitter and a save on Saturday and a one-hitter on Sunday. This is the first time a Tech player has been honored with the award.

"I am most proud of her composure. Early in the season she got some bad calls and allowed those things to affect her concentration but within last two or three weeks she has put all those things behind her and has stayed really composed. I don't think there is more anyone can do than what she is doing now," Earleywine said.

The remaining season for Tech includes regular season conference games, game against non-conference opponents including in-state rival Georgia and the ACC Tournament. "It is starting to get more serious as stakes are getting higher. I just hope that when the game gets big, our better players will rise to top and make big plays," Earleywine said.

According to Earleywine, although the World Series is still far away but certainly something about which to look forward.

"It's a hope for sure. We have been to regional for the last few years, so it's the next step. We don't talk much about it, but it's our goal. We focus on our technique, our efforts, our fundamentals and teamwork and then the results will be favorable if you do those things right," he said.